Avaliação de risco ecológico como ferramenta da prevenção da poluição: estudo de caso em uma indústria de malhas

Abstract

Ecological risk assessment is a process that evaluates the likelihood that adverse ecological effects may occur as result of the exposure to one or more stressors. The objective of this study is demonstrate the application of the ecological risk assessment as a tool to PollutionPrevention (P2). The ecological risk of textile auxiliaries was carried out in accordance with phases proposed by USEPA, to point that presented low risk and that with high risk. The study was developed in a knit mill in Ribeirão das Neves-MG, Brazil. The textile auxiliaries compositions was obtained from Material Safety Data Sheets MSDS provided by chemicalssuppliers. The technical information and consumption of each one was search on the industry and chemicals suppliers. Each chemical has exposure and effects evaluated for biota in aquatic environment. The exposure assessment (environmental fate) was evaluated, in aworst-case scenario, by textile auxiliaries release to a secondary treatment plant and discharged with mill effluents in Ribeirão Areias stream. The dilution in the steam was estimated using the Probabilistic Distribution Model (PDM) in E-FASTTM software. The textile auxiliaries chemical and physical properties estimating was based on QuantitativeStructure-Activity Relationships (QSAR) in the software EPIWinTM. This properties was applied to evaluate the environmental behavior of the textile auxiliaries. The properties set include bioconcentration factor (BCF), soil adsorption partition coefficient, biodegradation rates, and octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow). The effects was evaluated to three endpoints: algaes, daphnias, and fishes. The effects measure was based on QSAR on software ECOSARTM. Acute and chronic toxicity to endpoints was evaluated to calculate the concern concentration to each one compound. Information about the loading of the chemicals andconcern concentration was used to calculate the number of days the concern concentration is exceeded on stream per year. That textile auxiliaries with number of days of exceedance over twenty days is considered hazard to aquatic biota. The results of this study show thatecological risk assessment might be used in Pollution Prevention, because there was chemicals, that had similar industrial functions, therefore with different environmental performances, giving evidence of possibility to replace hazard chemical to protect the aquatic biota.